THE BROTHER of a Macclesfield nurse who has died of cancer has spoken of her "courageous" battle with the disease.

Gill Rasmussen would walk in the countryside alone or with friends, in order to feel as normal as possible, according to sibling John.

A former staff nurse on the dialysis unit at Macclesfield Hospital, she had undergone lengthy chemotherapy and radiotherapy when she died at the East Cheshire Hospice earlier this month, aged just 53.

John Rasmussen, 50, who had lived with Gill for more than two years, said: "She used to do a lot of walking – that was her big passion – and belonged to East Cheshire Outdoor Group. She would go away for weekends when she was healthy. She coped tremendously well. We didn’t really discuss it between us so we sheltered each other and tried to live like it wasn’t there. It was obvious towards the end though that we couldn’t."

Walking trips included the Lake and Peak Districts and, several times, the Alps. But latterly all the treatment, which included a mastectomy, sapped much of her energy.

"She was very courageous and showed a lot of strength to other people," said John, a chef, of Haughton Close, Macclesfield.

"She loved doing puzzles on the Nintendo DS, which was a good way of keeping her mind active, and listening to music. I must thank everyone for all the letters and cards, and the hospice – they were fantastic."

Gill’s funeral takes place in the form of a celebration of her life tomorrow (Thursday) at Macclesfield Crematorium from 11.20am.